Is the US really behind the regime- change?

In Blog
April 23, 2022
Mahnoor Islam
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After what seems to be some of the most tumultuous few days in Pakistan’s history, Mr. Imran Khan has been ousted as the prime minister. Within the last seven days, the country has witnessed the violation of the Constitution, a historic judgment by the Supreme Court, and the first time where a prime minister has

After what seems to be some of the most tumultuous few days in Pakistan’s history, Mr. Imran Khan has been ousted as the prime minister. Within the last seven days, the country has witnessed the violation of the Constitution, a historic judgment by the Supreme Court, and the first time where a prime minister has been ousted through a no-confidence vote. However, the game is not over yet. One of the most interesting developments to come out of this entire political fiasco is the allegation made by Imran Khan that the US is behind the regime change. Is there any truth to the assertion? Is foreign interference really the reason behind the recent political drama in the country?

The letter-gate controversy was first mentioned to us in March 2022 during a public rally. Since its reveal, the letter has become the center of the political crisis with many speculating if the letter and its content are even what Khan claims it to be since the letter’s content has only been disclosed to a select few journalists and the National Security Committee. The legitimacy of the letter needs to be determined urgently and the contents of the letter should have been investigated thoroughly. Secondly, the letter was said to have been disclosed to Pakistan’s Ambassador a few days before the 27th March rally. Why was it not dealt with when it was first received? Why did Khan wait a while to discuss the letter in such a dramatic fashion?

Furthermore, there is absolutely no doubt that Imran Khan’s visit to Russia along with his ‘absolutely not’ and ‘not slaves’ slogans have irked the United States but does it mean that the US would take such a drastic step of removing Imran Khan’s government from office? Pakistan should continue to work towards an independent foreign policy but situations like the letter-gate need to be handled more tactfully. The letter should have been dealt with in a timely manner and through a diplomatic channel instead of being used as a political and theatrical tactic.

This is not the first time the US has tried to meddle in the internal politics of any country. During World War II, the US helped in overthrowing the Nazi Germans. In 1953, the US tried to topple Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran, and in Guatemala, the US began Operation PBSUCCESS in 1954 in order to overthrow Jacobo Arbenz. The US has even made efforts to remove leaders in several parts of Africa. More recently, Biden has also called for President Putin to be removed from office following the Russia Ukraine conflict.

The belief that the US has been involved in Pakistan’s internal matters dates back to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s era as the Prime Minister in the 1970s. Back in 1977, ZA Bhutto claimed that the US wanted to remove him from office due to Bhutto’s refusal of abandoning Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. Conspiracy theories regarding the US involvement in the plane crash that led to General Zia’s death in 1989 have also arisen several times.

The US has always preferred the type of government that can advance its own strategic interests and it is no secret that the US has enjoyed a certain level of influence on Pakistan’s politics and internal affairs so it may not be incorrect to assume that Khan’s stance on various matters may not have been very well welcomed by the US. While in recent times, especially during Khan’s tenure, the pressure has been less as compared to previous regimes, the United States still has tried to exert pressure on Pakistan through IMF and FATF.

The question of whether the US is actually behind this regime change does not have a clear answer as yet. There is no denying that the US has and will continue to meddle in politics and internal affairs of weaker countries if it does not see eye to eye with them. In this case, and given the fact that Pakistan is finally seeking to move towards an independent foreign policy, matters such as the letter-gate need to be handled more carefully. Furthermore, the time and energy that is being utilized here for the wrong purposes should be instead used to strengthen one’s own foreign policy and economy. China is a perfect example of this. Instead of being critical of its adversaries, it worked on advancing its own interests and began introducing several reforms. In 2022, China is one of the biggest economies in the world. No matter what the Western powers say, they cant pressurize China. This is exactly what Pakistan needs to do.